


Lucky Stars

by Sirussly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-01-17 22:32:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12375507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirussly/pseuds/Sirussly
Summary: “I'm sat on top of you, you bloody fool. What else are you going to wish for?” she teased. “I'd count your lucky stars, Mr Lupin.”He pressed his mouth to her collar bone. “Too many to count.”





	1. Lucky Stars - Remus

“And Alastor is putting _you_ in charge of seven teenage wizards?” Remus gave an incredulous look over the top of The Daily Prophet.

 

“Hey, I'm great with kids!”

 

“And yet you're hardly the model example of a well-disciplined Auror, are you dear?” Remus said, adding the pet name as an additional jibe. Tonks stuck her tongue out in response.

 

“Well that's what Kingsley is for, isn't it pumpkin?” she shot back. “These kids dream of fighting bad guys for a living – if I left them alone with Kingsley for a whole day, they'd run for the hills. And don't get me started on Mad-Eye.”

 

“I'm surprised any of them still aspire to be Aurors, what with all the chaos going on...” Remus muttered, eyes scanning the paper. “Two more missing in action this week.” Tonks pulled the newspaper from his hands and tossed it on the floor before throwing herself on to the faded armchair, pinning Remus underneath.

 

“McGrady will show up, he's a good guy. Walsh is dead for sure, though. Stupid bloke could hardly walk up the stairs without splinching himself.” Her voice was light but pitched a little too high. Remus brushed an eyelash from her cheek, balancing it on the pad of his thumb.

 

“Don't go missing on me, alright? There's a war going on, I can't be out leading search parties.” Tonks hummed and blew the eyelash from his fingertips.

 

“Hey, you stole my wish.”

 

“I'm sat on top of you, you bloody fool. What else are you going to wish for?” she teased. “I'd count your lucky stars, Mr Lupin.”

 

He pressed his mouth to her collar bone. “Too many to count.”

 

“I think Dumbledore's death spurred a few of them into action,” she murmured after a while, resting her chin on top of his head. “They want to help. If I can teach a few how to defend themselves, they might have a chance of surviving... this.”

 

Remus thought pensively of the previous week, Dumbledore's funeral, the flurry of activity that had followed. Oddly, the dust had seemed to settle over the past couple of days, if only momentarily. Moody had been growing steadily more agitated at Scrimgeore's reluctance to take public action and insisted they move Order Headquarters to the Burrow. Remus couldn't say he was sorry to abandon Grimmauld Place, but memories of time spent there over the past couple of years left a hollow ache in his chest.

 

“How did Alastor convince the Minister of this little day-trip, anyway?”

 

Tonks snorted. “He insisted the Aurors needed to regroup for training, what with the recent MIA cases. He just left out the part where we invited a few students along with us.”

 

“Right. That'll go down well when he finds out.”

 

“If he finds out. Scrimgeore's a twat, anyway - Mad-Eye trusts him about as far as he could throw him.” Tonks huffed her fringe out of her face, looking agitated. “Hence why I'm having to floo to the middle of bloody nowhere to some secret training base. There's too many eyes over at the Ministry.”

 

Remus squeezed her hand reassuringly and she sighed, managing a small smile back. But it was wiped from her face almost immediately, replaced by a look of panic similar to that of a child caught misbehaving.

 

“ _Shit!”_ she swore furiously, staring at the ancient grandfather clock in the corner of the room. “Oh piss it, I'm late. Mad-Eye's gonna execute me as a training exercise.” She planted a kiss on Remus' greying temple and jumped up, throwing on a worn leather jacket. She grabbed a fistful of floo powder in one hand and blew a kiss with the other, stepping clumsily into the fireplace.

 

“Watch your --” but Remus was cut off by a yelp as Tonks smacked her head not for the first time on the low coving. She swore furiously again and disappeared in a burst of green flames. Remus grinned, the hollow ache lessened.


	2. The Missing Buttock - Kingsley

“I'm going to execute that girl and use it as a training exercise.”

 

Kingsley's dark eyes crinkled at the edges; he wasn't particularly known for smiling, but couldn't help his amusement at the regular squabbles of his other two partners. “She's only a few minutes late.”

 

“Eight minutes. That damn girl would be late for her own bloody funeral.”

 

The door to the training arena burst open with an almighty bang. The noise rang out around the huge room, causing several young pairs of eyes to turn and stare. Moody's own blue eye bored into the new arrival disapprovingly.

 

“Sorry, sorry – shit, sorry.”

 

“You're late.”

 

“Only by five minutes. Traffic was a nightmare.”

 

“Eight and a half minutes. And you took the floo.”

 

Tonks made a dismissive noise, turning to Kingsley with a wide grin. “Wotcher.”

 

“Morning, Tonks. Nice of you to join us.”

 

“First lesson of the day,” Moody hobbled forward, addressing the room in a booming voice. “Be on time. You show up late, people die.”

 

“Who's dying?” Tonks hissed by Kingsley's side. He looked down at her – her purple hair barely came to his elbow.

 

“You, I expect, if you continue winding him up.”

 

“I've no idea what you mean,” she said, pulling out her wand. He sighed wearily.

 

A split -second later Tonks had hurled a jet of red light at the back of Moody's head, but the Auror raised his wand and deflected the spell with a casual flick. It rebounded and struck the nearby wall, leaving behind a blackened mark and a shower of sparks. His back remained turned.

 

“Lesson two,” he said. _“Constant vigilance.”_

 

“You should really stop doing that,” Kingsley muttered as a couple of the students clapped nervously. Tonks winked back at him.

 

“Nah, he enjoys it.”

 

Suddenly, Moody swung his staff violently at one of the nearest students, stopping it inches from the boy's nose. “Lesson three,” he leant in and growled, “take that wand out of your back pocket, boy. Buttocks don't grow back.”

 

“You keep saying that, but seriously - who do you know that's lost a buttock?” Tonks piped up, one violet eyebrow quirked in amusement.

 

Moody turned sharply to glare at her interruption, and his bright blue eye swivelled meaningfully between her and the Auror stood next to her. After a beat of silence, Tonks' mouth dropped open and she looked at Kingsley, awe and hysteria battling with each other on her face.

 

“ _No fucking w_ _–”_

 

“Language!” Moody barked, and turned back to the students. “I think those three points are good enough to be getting on with. Now, who here knows how to use a leg-locker curse?”

 

Kingsley tried valiantly to focus on what Moody was saying, but couldn't ignore the burning feeling of Tonks' gaze on him. “Stop looking at my bum,” he muttered under his breath.

 

“But it looks so real...” Tonks whispered, still peering round curiously. “I knew that arse was too good to be true.”

 

Kingsley cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I don't think -”

 

“And I'm officially revoking your 'Best Bottom' award, you cheat.”

 

“Since when did -?”

 

“ _Enough chatter back there!”_ Moody bellowed, and Kingsley felt his magical eye staring disapprovingly at them both through the back of his head. “Shacklebolt, make yourself useful and demonstrate how to undo a full-body bind.”

 

Without warning Moody had shot a spell at Tonks, whose arms and legs locked instantly at her sides. Kingsley swiftly steadied her before she could topple backwards and one side of Moody's crooked mouth lifted in an odd little smirk.

 

“Remember, Nymphadora... constant vigilance.”

 

 _If looks could kill,_ Kingsley thought, _Moody would be in a grave._

 

He quickly cast the counter-spell and Tonks was released. She shook her stiff limbs out, spitting expletives furiously under her breath.

 

“I did say you should stop trying to stun him,” he said impassively.

 

“Piss off, bubble butt.”

 

“Now,” Moody began addressing the students again. “Who here was present on the night of Albus Dumbledore's death?”

 

The change in atmosphere was all too palpable; even Tonks grew serious. Kingsley watched all seven students raise their hands.

 

“Anyone encounter any death eaters that night?”

 

All except one sandy-haired boy dropped their hands, and the boy found himself being scrutinised by everyone in the room, though it didn't seem to bother him; he held his arm straight and tall in the air. Kingsley cleared his throat, stepping forward.

 

“All of you have witnessed first-hand the very real threat that You-Know-Who and his followers present to you. Unfortunately, even Hogwarts can no longer guarantee your safety. Therefore it is vital you learn how to protect yourself, and others.”

 

A polite cough came from the sandy-haired boy. “Like what Dumbledore's Army does,” he said somewhat pompously. “Practicing and teaching self-defence.”

 

Tonks tilted her head curiously. “Dumbledore's what now?”

 

“Harry started it all back in fifth year – there's a whole group of us. We've learnt a whole manner of practical defence spells, and they've saved my life more times than I can count.”

 

“Clever lad, that Potter” Kingsley heard Moody mutter to his left, a small smile hidden somewhere beneath his scarred face. He turned back to address the boy.

 

“What is your name?” The boy's chin raised a fraction, his chest puffing out just slightly.

 

“Ernie Macmillan, Hufflepuff prefect... Sir.”

 

Tonks gave a loud whoop behind them, ignoring Moody's steely glare and pushing between them both.

 

“'Puff pride, amiright?” She stood cheerfully in front of them all, hands on her hips. “Right chaps, if we're done with the morbid lecture... let's teach you lot how to kick some Death Eater arse.”

 

Kingsley tried not to roll his eyes.

 


	3. Two Left Thumbs - Moody

Moody leant on his staff and watched from the side of the cavernous room as Tonks and Kingsley duelled one another between its stone pillars. The seven students watched wide-eyed as the two Aurors hurled spell after spell, dancing round each other masterfully.

 

Kingsley was a relentless force; he hurled each spell with such power that they left smoking scorch marks on whichever surface they were deflected to. He easily cleared six feet tall, his dark silhouette dwarfing his opponent and casting long shadows across the marble floor. But despite his size Kingsley was surprisingly graceful, almost predator-like as he moved lithely on the balls of his feet. He seemed to know where each of Tonks' spells were coming from before she had even cast them and blocked each one almost lazily. For anyone else it would have been maddeningly frustrating, but Tonks continued to dance around him with ease, a wide grin on her face.

 

She was incredibly quick, so much so that she rarely needed magic to deflect Kingsley's spells - instead preferring to duck and dive under them, forcing the opposition to continuously track her rapid movements. Kingsley was the more experienced Auror, his spells more complex and powerful, but Tonks had pin-pointed his weaknesses with skilful precision. Moody watched carefully as the younger woman aimed low, forcing Kingsley to crouch in order to block her oncoming hex. Suddenly she had flipped her wand deftly in the air and caught it in her other hand. As Kingsley threw his arm wide to block her second spell, his centre was thrown off-balance and he stumbled just slightly. With a flick of her wrist, Tonks disarmed him and caught his wand in her free hand, ending the duel with a wink and a small curtsey.

 

“Thought you were left-handed,” Moody grunted at her as she tossed Kingsley's wand back to him and skipped lightly over to his side.

 

“Neat trick, huh?” she beamed, holding two left hands up to his face. Moody studied them in amusement.

 

“You've already got two left feet, girl, what are you doing swapping your thumbs over?” Tonks ignored the taunt and wiggled her fingers back to their normal position.

 

“Hey – think I could get another wand? Then I could use two at once!”

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

“Spoil-sport.”

 

They watched as Kingsley paired the students up and made them take turns blocking simple stunning spells. Tonks hummed cheerfully by Moody's side.

 

“You're obnoxiously cheerful today.”

 

“Well, not everyone's a miserable old git like you.”

 

“How's the boyfriend?”

 

“You did not just ask me that.”

 

Moody grunted, sucking his teeth. “Hasn't done another runner, has he?” Tonks shot him a sharp glare but he winked at her, and she elbowed him in the ribs. “Just don't go walking around with that ridiculous hair again.”

 

Tonks laughed once, shaking her hair out as it fell curling at her shoulders, a light, soft brown. “Why not? I quite liked it.” Moody grimaced.

 

“You look far too much like your mother.”

 

“My mother is a wonderful lady.”

 

“I'd take ten Death Eaters any day rather than anger that woman,” he said. Tonks laughed again.

 

“She's not as scary as she likes to think. Neither are you.”

 

“I'm scary enough.”

 

“You're adorable.”

 

Before he could respond she had bounded away to the nearest pair of students: the blonde Hufflepuff boy with the too-tight trousers, and a dark-skinned boy whose brown eyes were magnified by a pair of thick glasses. Both murmured appreciatively as Tonks' hair shifted from brown to a vibrant teal. Moody might have smiled.

 

\- - - -

 

Several hours and two minor injuries (one broken nose, one sprained thumb) later, Moody gathered everyone together once more.

 

“So. What have we learnt?” he addressed them.

 

“That Macmillan needs to keep his elbows to himself,” muttered the dark-skinned boy, still pressing at his nose gingerly.

 

“If you had been paying attention you could have ducked in time,” Moody dismissed him.

 

“Constant vigilance!” his own voice was parroted behind him, and his magical eye glowered at Tonks through the back of his skull.

 

“Well luckily, I doubt You-Know-Who will be using hand-to-hand combat,” Kingsley added.

 

Moody's eye spun forward again. “And here's hoping none of you get close enough to find out.”

 

Tonks snorted in response.

 

“Well if _I_ did, I'd definitely go in for a punch. Bald git.”

 

A tall Ravenclaw girl with wild black hair spoke up. “Have any of you actually seen Vol _–_ I mean... You-Know-Who?”

 

“Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself,” Macmillan interjected. “That's what Harry Potter says.”

 

“You gonna marry him one day, Ernie?”

 

“Shut up, Entwhistle.”

 

“Hey, Harry's a catch,” Tonks winked. A loud crack echoed round the room as Moody banged his staff on the floor.

 

“That's enough mooning over Potter, thank you.”

 

“But have you ever met him?” Ernie continued. “Voldemort? In person?”

 

Moody sighed irritably and raised his staff to bang the floor with it once again, but a sudden menacing presence in the air made him freeze. By the way the other two Aurors tensed beside him, he knew they had felt it too.

 

The doors to the arena exploded open, and the shadows flooded in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... shit's about to get real. (Did you honestly expect anything less?)


	4. The Burning Man - Mad Eye Moody

Everything moved at once.

 

A hoard of Death Eaters swarmed the hall as one terrible black mass. The students quickly scattered as Kingsley ran through the center, wand slashing through the air as his protective shield erupted outwards just moments before the Death Eaters' spells reached them. Violent fireworks of red and green exploded against the barrier and several children screamed.

 

“FOLLOW ME!” Moody bellowed at them. A few students scrambled into action whilst a couple stood frozen, gaping blankly. Tonks scruffed a motionless girl by the collar in one hand, firing spells with the other.

 

“HE SAID MOVE, YOU MUPPETS!” she barked furiously, which seemed to spur everyone into action. Moody grabbed another student by the arm and began racing to the back of the hall as fast as his limp would allow.

 

“Is – is this a training exercise?” the freckled boy in his grip stammered, struggling to keep up with Moody's pace despite his laboured gait. There was a blinding flash and a curse took out a chunk of the nearest wall, showering them with debris.

 

“Does that answer your question?” he growled, pressing forward.

 

Ahead of him, Tonks had reached the back of the hall. She tapped a few of the bricks on the wall with her wand, muttering low incantations. But Kingsley's shield had dropped, and spells started to fly through the air towards them.

 

Thankfully, it appeared the previous hours of training had not been lost on the students. Ernie Macmillan gave a furious battle cry and started hurling spells of his own, and the rest soon followed suit. Moody kept one eye on Tonks behind him whilst diverting as many curses as he could away from the children.

 

Moments later, the back wall gave a great shudder and the stone bricks crumbled away to reveal a dusty fireplace. Much smaller than the main fireplace used to access the training base, the emergency escape could only take a couple of people at a time. Moody pointed his wand at the coals and green flames burst from the grate.

 

“What the bloody... how the hell did they–?”

 

Tonks was whipping curses at the cloaked figures behind them, making sure to keep them at a distance. Her voice was panicked and high but she wore an expression that was grim with determination.

 

Moody didn't have an answer. The training base was completely secluded – only the most qualified Aurors knew of its location. It was one of the most heavily warded places in Britain with the exception of Hogwarts and the Ministry, yet it was as though every protective charm in place had dissolved at once. It was still impossible to apparate in or out – Moody could tell from the way the magic in the air resisted his fingers – which also explained why the Death Eaters had swarmed the place on foot. How they had infiltrated the base in the first place, though, was unexplainable.

 

There was a terrified shriek as a Death Eater soared through the air and hit one of the stone pillars. Kingsley stood in the middle of four Death Eaters, duelling them simultaneously with a face like thunder. Moody lunged forward and grabbed hold of the nearest two students.

 

“Both of you – floo to the Ministry, tell them what's happened and _get help._ ” He pushed both students roughly into the fireplace and grabbed a fistful of floo powder, but Tonks quickly caught hold of his arm.

 

“Are you crazy? If they've infiltrated our training base, the Ministry could be under attack too!”

 

“We need back-up, Tonks!”

 

“No Mad-Eye, we need to get out of here – there's too many of them!” She grabbed her own handful of green powder and fixed both students with a steely look. “Get to Hogwarts, and stay there till you know it's safe.” She threw the powder down and emerald flames engulfed the two teenagers before they disappeared.

 

“Why is it impossible for you to follow bloody orders?!” Moody said fiercely, sending one Death Eater flying backwards.

 

“Because your orders are shit!” Tonks replied, pulling another two students from the fray.

 

Suddenly, a man broke away from the mass of duelling Death Eaters and stormed towards Moody. Walden Macnair was tall with large, strong arms, but Azkaban had starved his face and turned his hair grey. A curse formed on his thin lips and Moody threw his arm up to block it; the force of the spell sending the Auror stumbling back a step.

 

“ _STUPEFY!”_ came a shout, and a jet of red light shot from the wand of a student beside him. It was the boy who'd had his nose broken by Macmillan, but his aim was off and the jet of light soared past the Death Eater's left ear. With an angry flick of Macnair's wand, the boy was thrown against the back wall and he hit the ground hard.

 

“ _Adam!”_ Ernie cried as Tonks wrestled him into the fireplace.

 

With a growl Moody raised his staff high above the ground, before slamming it down hard against the stone. The floor buckled and the ground at Macnair's feet exploded into fragments, sending the Death Eater hurtling backwards.

 

Yet the remaining Death Eaters began fighting their way closer, and Moody could no longer see Kingsley among them. From the fireplace Tonks screamed _“IMPEDIMENTA!”_ and two approaching Death Eaters were knocked off their feet.

 

“Mad-Eye, grab Adam, he's the last one -”

 

“ _REDUCTO!”_

 

There was a blinding flash of light and a blast so powerful that Moody was thrown to the ground. His ears rang painfully as rubble crashed down all around him and he quickly shielded his head from the falling debris. Coughing, he peered through the dust.

 

The fireplace was gone.

 

Ears still ringing, Moody struggled to his feet and looked around frantically for Tonks, who was nowhere to be seen. A couple of Death Eaters lay motionless on the floor and another stumbled towards him in a ball of fire, his terrified face illuminated by green flames. He screamed as the fire travelled up his robes and reached for Moody blindly, but the Auror threw the man to the ground.

 

For just a moment, he watched him burn.

 

Then, an icy blast of water hit them both and the flames were extinguished. Macnair stood with his wand ready, a terrible look on his face, but when Moody lunged towards him his wooden leg slipped on the wet stone, sending him crashing to the ground and his staff rolling away across the floor. Macnair smiled and raised his wand.

 

There was a sickening crack as the end of Moody's staff swung through the air and hit Macnair squarely round the face. Moody saw a mouthful of yellow teeth scatter across the floor like marbles, and Macnair dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

 

Tonks stood panting, bleeding heavily from a gash above her eyebrow, Moody's staff held in her hands like a golf club.

 

“Son of a bitch nearly blew me to pieces.”

 

As she held out the staff and hoisted Moody up with it, they heard coughing from behind them. Adam scrambled to his feet, spluttering and brushing clouds of dust from his clothes. Tonks looked between the boy and where the fireplace once stood and went pale.

 

“The - the fireplace...” Adam stammered, wide-eyed.

 

A jet of green light shot towards the group and Moody barely pulled Tonks out of the way in time. She dived to the floor, pulled her wand from the wreckage, and was on her feet again in an instant. Moody shook wet hair from his eyes.

 

“Tonks, grab the boy and get to the main floo, it's our only way out.”

 

“And what if they've blown that one up too?”

 

“Then we're all fucked! GO!”

 

They both leapt forwards, hurling spells left and right. A heavy man with a thick neck ran at Moody with surprising speed; even Moody's impediment jinx did little to slow him, and the Auror dived out of the way before he was run down.

 

“Enjoyed your second stint in Azkaban, did you Crabbe?” he spat.

 

“I remember you – in the Department of Mysteries...”

 

“And I remember throwing you in prison afterwards. You really should have stayed there.”

 

“Nah, we'd had enough of that place... and those dementors didn't seem too bothered about letting us go, either...”

 

Moody gripped his wand a little tighter, still circling the other Death Eater. Either Scrimgeore had failed to inform him of a mass Azkaban break-out, or the Ministry weren't even aware. He didn't know which was worse.

 

“So you thought you'd pop in for some Auror training, hm? Looks like you might need it–”

 

He threw a stunning spell at the boulder-shaped man but it was deflected, only just. Crabbe snarled.

 

“Cruc– ”

 

“ _Petrificus Totalus!”_ shouted Moody - the Death Eater's arms and legs snapped together and he toppled over facedown, nose crunching as it slammed against the stone floor.

 

“Good thing he was already ugly,” came a thickly accented voice from behind him. Moody whirled, a spell flying from his wand, but the second Death Eater blocked it casually. Moody's skin prickled with hatred at the familiar pale, twisted face.

 

“You come a close second, Dolohov.”

 

Without any further exchange, both men flew into a frenzied duel. The Russian threw every form of dark magic he could at the Auror, who fought viciously to defend himself against the twisting shadows and purple streaks of flame. Faster than Moody could react, a sharp tendril of black shot out of Dolohov's wand and sliced into his shoulder. Bellowing in pain, he deflected a second blast from Dolohov just in time; it rebounded and struck a nearby pillar, causing the stone to splinter dangerously.

 

“ _Crucio!”_

 

Searing pain forced Moody to his knees and he screamed whilst Dolohov laughed. The pain broke momentarily and Moody gasped for air.

 

“The others, your Auror friends... they screamed too. They tell me all kinds of secrets, where to find you... so we wait here, outside, wait for you...”

 

Moody jerked and found his grip on his wand, but pain exploded behind his eyelids once more, setting every nerve in his body on fire. Just as quickly, the pain disappeared again – _he's tired_ , Moody thought, _he can't keep this up very long..._

 

“Maybe I'll take your other eye, yes?” Dolohov panted. “Or maybe... I squash you like bug.”

 

Moody's eyes glittered.

 

“Now that's an idea.”

 

Moody's cry of _“REDUCTO!”_ caused the weakened pillar to give out an almighty crack. The base crumbled and the entire thing began to topple towards Dolohov. He gave a cry of terror, diving out the way as the pillar crashed to the ground in an enormous cloud of dust. A cloaked figure Moody didn't recognise was crushed in an instant, and several other Death Eaters scattered in panic.

 

But Dolohov emerged from the dust, scrambled to his feet and began racing towards the main doors. Moody heaved himself upwards and chased after him on unsteady legs. With his magical eye he saw Tonks and Adam running in their direction, relieved to see Kingsley alive and duelling behind them – miraculously unharmed aside from his robes, which were blackened and in tatters.

 

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, the sounds of chaos replaced by a distant ringing as Moody's focus narrowed.

 

Dolohov aimed a vicious spell at Tonks, who stumbled out of the way just in time. A second spell erupted from the Death Eater's wand and red tendrils crackled through the air, latching onto Adam and bringing him to a sudden, sickening halt.

 

Moody watched in horror as the familiar tendrils whipped round the boy, pulling him apart until his body unravelled and disappeared in a haze of red. He saw Tonks' outstretched arm, heard a mad shriek of laughter, and fear twisted sharply in his gut.

 

Alastor Moody raised his wand without thinking.


	5. The Pocket Watch - Tonks

“Then we're all fucked! GO!”

 

With a wave of Tonks' wand the dust from the explosion cleared and she and Moody surged forward, Adam following closely behind her. She saw Victor Crabbe hurtling towards her mentor, wand gripped tight in his fat fist, and urged herself to keep moving. _Bloody idiot,_ she thought furiously to herself. Mad-Eye was right, she never could follow orders. Now they were all trapped, with no back-up on the way and rapidly dwindling opportunities to escape. If anyone got hurt, it would be her fault.

 

She had to get to the other fireplace.

 

She frantically scanned the room for Kingsley, but a jet of green light hurtled towards her and she dived out of the way as it whistled past her head, missing her by inches. She pulled Adam down with her, gripping his wrist tightly enough that he yelped as they both crashed to the floor.

 

The insane cackle of laughter that followed lit a burning fire in Tonks chest.

 

She heard the slow clack-clack of her aunt's heeled boots before she saw her face, pale and gaunt, her skin stretched too tightly over its sharp contours. Tonks scrambled backwards on the floor, shielding the boy beside her and hurling a curse that was quickly deflected with a manic giggle.

 

“Come on, little girlie – surely you can do better than that?”

 

“Stay down,” she growled to Adam before staggering to her feet, eyes blazing. Bellatrix gave her a sickening grin.

 

In an instant they were duelling viciously as the surrounding air crackled fiercely with magic. Every spell that left Bellatrix's lips was unforgivable, and Tonks knew with certainty that one stumble and she would suffer the same fate Sirius had.

 

As if she could read her mind, Bellatrix spat viciously at her in between jets of green light.

 

“Filthy witch... I'll kill you, just like I killed that traitor cousin of mine. That'll show you - dirty scum, I'll wipe all of you out... _Cruc–!”_

 

Tonks deflected the Cruciatus with a scream of anger. Sweat soaked the back of her shirt and she felt it cling to the leather of her jacket as she stood over the young boy crouched on the floor, unable to move in case he was exposed to Bellatrix's wrath. Tonks gritted her teeth and blocked her aunt's curses again and again, each blow sending a painful jolt through her bruised muscles. As her wand began burning in her palm, she begged silently that it wouldn't explode in her hand.

 

Tonks was a skilled dueller, but Bellatrix was driven by a hatred that was more dangerous than anything Tonks had ever faced before. She was relentless, an empty shell of a person fuelled by a terrible sort of violence that chilled the young Auror to the core. Even Tonks couldn't ignore her aunt's striking resemblance to her own mother, but where Andromeda's gaze overflowed with warmth, Bellatrix' eyes were dead and cold. Those black eyes blazed at her as her voice rose to a scream.

 

“Poor Andy, what will she do once I've killed her precious little girl? Maybe I'll kill Daddy too, and she'll be left all alone!”

 

Tonks couldn't stop the furious tears that stung her eyes, and her vision blurred dangerously. A cry of rage tore itself from her chest and bright light exploded from her wand – Bellatrix gave a shriek of surprise as she was blasted off her feet.

 

“ _Stay the fuck away from my family!”_ Tonks roared, and in the next moment she was stood over Bellatrix, wand pointed unwaveringly at the space between her eyes.

 

Bellatrix licked her lips, wandless as she stared at her hungrily from the floor. _“Stop me,”_ she hissed. _“Kill me.”_

 

Tonks breathed hard, the words ready and bitter-tasting on her tongue. But Bellatrix's familiar arched brows and square jaw caused them to stick in her throat. A hot tear escaped down her cheek and she didn't bother to wipe it away. Bellatrix laughed, quietly at first, then the noise grew into a maddening cackle as she realised what Tonks already knew.

 

She couldn't do it.

 

A heeled boot caught her behind the knee and the air rushed from her lungs as Tonks hit the floor. Bellatrix was on top of her in an instant – one hand clawed at Tonks' face whilst the other pinned her wand arm to the floor.

 

“RUN, ADAM!” she cried, and the boy scrambled away out of sight.

 

Tonks snarled and hooked one of her legs around Bellatrix's thigh in order to flip her off, but despite her starved appearance the woman was deceptively strong. She stopped raking her nails down Tonks' face only to wrap her long fingers round her throat instead, squeezing until white spots bloomed across Tonks' vision.

 

“So weak... just like your mother...” Bellatrix whispered, close enough that Tonks could feel her hot breath on the side of her face. She struggled in vain underneath Bellatrix's weight, the hand gripping her wand still pinned painfully to the ground. She willed herself to focus as her vision blurred, but her aunt's whispers were deafeningly loud in her ear.

 

“Shh, little girlie. Don't fight it... it'll all be over soon.”

 

Darkness crept in at the edges of Tonks' vision. The adrenaline that had coursed through her body was fading – the earlier explosion had battered her small body, which was now screaming at her in protest. Bellatrix's eyes locked with hers, filled with sick delight.

 

“And I'll make sure to tell the mutt how I squeezed the life from you.”

 

Something flared in Tonks' chest. She lashed out suddenly, her boot colliding with something solid. Bellatrix yelped and doubled over. The grip on Tonks' throat disappeared and at last Tonks could breathe again, the sudden oxygen in her lungs making her dizzy. Her head snapped suddenly to the side as Bellatrix struck her across the face, and she tasted blood.

 

“STUPID BIT– ”

 

But Bellatrix's weight was lifted off her so quickly that Tonks lay there for a moment, stunned, until strong hands pulled her upright. Her head span and she coughed, blinking away tears until Kingsley's face swam into view. He shook her lightly.

 

“Get the kid out of here, quickly. I'll take care of that one.”

 

Tonks couldn't tell if she was dizzy with relief at the fact Kingsley was alive or just a lack of oxygen, but Adam had re-appeared and was pulling her along desperately. She felt her legs obey sluggishly, and both of them began running towards the main doors.

 

They made it only a few steps before Tonks saw Antonin Dolohov's spell fly towards her. She ducked just in time, stumbling to the right and losing her grip on Adam's hand. Her knees collided with the hard stone painfully and red spots danced in front of her eyes.

 

She staggered to her feet and shook her dazed head, but the air still crackled with scarlet. She turned to Adam and froze.

 

Before her eyes, the boy began to unravel.

 

Tonks could have screamed but the sound would have died in her throat; instead she reached out as if she could pull Adam back together, stop his body from crumpling like embers burning in a fireplace.

 

As something terrible crackled at the tips of her fingers, Tonks was hit with a blow to the chest and flung backwards so powerfully that her feet left the ground. She caught a flash of Kingsley's horrified face as she flew through the air and into his path, saw the spell that left his wand and shot towards her. What she didn’t see was the second spell, behind her, rushing to meet it.

 

Tonks twisted sharply in mid-air and dropped to the ground like a broken puppet.

 

The world was quiet, save for the dull ringing in her ears and a high shriek of laughter – Bellatrix, whose curse had sliced through Tonks before reaching its intended target.

 

She lay twisted on the ground, face pressed against the cool stone. Her breath should have fogged the smooth surface, but there was none in her, she felt her body grow rigid with shock.

 

Then the pain hit.

 

White-hot and blinding, she gasped as it radiated across her torso. Bellatrix's curse had torn through the leather of her jacket, slashing her open above the navel, whilst Kingsley's spell left a blackened scorch mark on her upper thigh. Tonks pushed away the terrible thought of having almost lost her leg.

 

Moody landed at her feet, bellowing unforgivable words. A wall was blown apart in an explosion of green where Bellatrix had stood moments before. Dolohov was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Tonks – status.”

 

Tonks coughed wetly into the floor, dragging air painfully back into her lungs. “It fucking hurts,” she growled.

 

Tonks – _status. Now_.”

 

She ground her teeth together – _stupid to be following protocol now, when they were all going to die here, just like Adam had, and it was her fault, why hadn't she just–_

 

But she battled the voice in her head and it quickly succumbed to years of training. She focused on the flow of blood from her side: _open laceration, upper left quadrant, risk of severe blood loss._ The list was clear in her mind, but when she opened her mouth to speak she only heard her own strangled cry.

 

“ _What did you do?”_

 

“She reached for the boy, the curse would have–”

 

“ _–directly into my path?!”_

 

“There was no _fucking time_ –”

 

Mad-Eye and Kingsley circled her, facing outwards. The remaining Death Eaters began to close in and the two Aurors deflected spell after spell, unable to drive forward should they leave Tonks exposed to the onslaught. She pressed a shaking palm hard against her side and focused on breathing. If they didn't find a way out, they would all be slaughtered.

 

“Main doors are blocked.”

 

“Apparition wards still up.”

 

“One of us will have to–”

 

“You grab her, I'll cover–”

 

Tonks focused in on the pain radiating through her, forcing it to sharpen her foggy mind. She rolled onto her uninjured side and felt something small and solid inside the lining of her jacket. Fumbling awkwardly with hands that were slick with blood, she pulled out a heavy pocket watch – a gift from her father the day she became a qualified Auror. Something cold settled in her chest.

 

“We can use – a portkey–”

 

Moody's eye swung sharply to look at her as he continued firing off spells.

 

“No. The pressure will tear you in two.”

 

She ignored him, tapped the tip of her wand to the antiquated silver. The watch hands began to spin.

 

“Tonks, we'll find another–”

 

“We'll die if we don't.”

 

“Nymphadora, drop the–”

 

“Don't bloody call me–”

 

“That's a _direct order–_ ”

 

A curse exploded by her head and she flinched, keeping a tight grip on the watch, whose hands had begun to spin faster. She exhaled sharply, muttering frantic incantations as Moody roared at her. Kingsley looked ahead, silent and grim as he battled the Death Eaters, but they continued to close in on the group.

 

“Kingsley...”

 

He glanced down at her, mouth set in a grimace. They locked eyes and for just a moment his expression faltered, laced with pain. He nodded once, and quickly turned back to the fighting.

 

Tonks took a shaky breath and turned back to the pocket watch, trying not to picture her father's face.

 

“... _Portus_.”

 

The watch trembled in Tonks' hand and she quickly cradled it in her sleeve. For a moment it glowed bright blue, blinding her, before returning to its usual state. Tonks gritted her teeth, hands shaking. She thought of Remus and began counting down.

 

“Ready – on three...”

 

Moody's single blue eye fixed on her, stoic and expressionless. She couldn't see the other side of his face.

 

Kingsley's voice bellowed over the chaos. “ One... two...!”

 

Both of their charms exploded outwards, two halves of a spherical shield. Kingsley dove towards the floor, scooping Tonks up in his arms, and she felt Moody's grip like a vice on her forearm. The shields fell, and all three grabbed the watch.

 

The world blurred, came together and fell apart all at once.


	6. The Burrow - Fleur

**** The noise was inhuman, an animal scream that tore through the Burrow and caused every blonde hair on Fleur's body to stand on end.

 

There was a beat of silence, a frozen moment of utter stillness. Then, everyone moved.

 

Fleur burst into the hallway at the same time as the twins, who wore uncharacteristically frightened expressions. They followed swiftly behind her as she raced down the stairs, wand held ready in one shaking hand. Bill and Charlie were already at the bottom and Fleur almost ran into them both. She met Bill's eyes for a second – he reached for her hand but she had already torn past the brothers into the living room, following the sudden sound of Molly's unmistakable shriek.

 

Alastor Moody struggled to push himself up on his one good knee, his wooden leg folded awkwardly underneath him. He heaved himself gracelessly across the worn carpet to where Kingsley Shacklebolt was knelt, his huge form bent protectively over whatever was cradled in his arms.

 

Fleur pushed forward to stand next to Arthur, whose wife clutched to him tightly. She saw now the terrible stain spreading slowly across the dusty rug, the small hand that hung limply from Kingsley's arms, and a tuft of purple hair.

 

“Bloody hell...”

 

The two youngest Weasley children appeared in the doorway. Ron was rapidly turning an odd shade of green, whilst Ginny simply stood wide-eyed in horror, hands over her mouth.

 

“Is anyone going to stop gawping and  _ fucking help us?” _

 

Moody's furious snarl had the desired effect and there was an immediate frenzy of activity. Molly raced out of the room whilst Arthur pulled Moody up to standing – the Auror stormed across to the kitchen and cleared the contents of the table with such a violent wave of his wand that the plates clattered against the opposite wall. Charlie, whose tanned complexion had never looked so pale, scrambled forward to help Kingsley. The older wizard ignored his efforts, standing in one swift motion with Tonks still held tightly against his chest.

 

Deathly still, eyes shut and lacking almost any colour, Fleur would have pronounced the young woman dead there and then if it weren't for the fistful of Kingsley's tattered robes Tonks held tightly in one shaking fist. Kingsley strode over to the kitchen with grim determination, his stony expression so different to the gentle way he lay Tonks on the long table. He waved his wand wordlessly and a silver sheen settled across her torso, ebbing the flow of blood that had begun to stain the wooden tabletop.

 

Molly burst back into the room, her arms laden with towels and bandages. She dumped them on an empty chair and immediately raced to the cupboards, pulling various bottles and potions out from inside. Fleur felt Bill's hand at the small of her back. “Can you do anything?” he murmured.

 

The wounds that marred his handsome features were healing nicely, Fleur thought absently, and she often marvelled how it was that such scars could make his face look kinder. His words settled in her chest, and she felt a wave of calm spread through her.

 

“Everybody out,” she ordered to the room. “You and you, stay” she pointed at Charlie and Kingsley. Moody spoke up from the corner where he stood, arms folded.

 

“I'm staying. Shacklebolt, get to the Ministry and warn them, if they're not under attack already.”

 

Fleur thought she saw a dark look flicker across Kingsley's somber expression, but before she could question it the Auror had marched out of the room, Fred and George moving swiftly aside to avoid being knocked over. She heard the crackle of flames from the fireplace a moment later.

 

“Warn them of what? A–are we under attack?” Ron asked shakily.

 

“There's been a mass break-out of Azkaban prisoners. They've infiltrated our training base, and the Ministry could be the next target.” Moody's eyes never left Tonks' small form lying on the kitchen table.

 

After a moment of stunned silence, Molly leapt into action again, ushering Ron, Ginny and the twins out of the room. All four appeared too shocked to protest properly, save for a few hushed whispers: _ Will she be alright? Dad, she's not going to die is she?  _ Arthur placed a guiding hand on either of the twin's shoulders, they left, and the room was still.

 

Charlie was holding Tonks' hand between two blistered palms when she stirred, eyes fluttering open. He inhaled sharply, squeezing her fingers.

 

“Look who's back,” Tonks spoke in a strained whisper. Charlie braved a smile.

 

“Only just. Got some best man duties to attend to, don't I?” He inhaled shakily. “And I missed you, 'course.”

 

“Missed you too, Charlie Boy.”

 

Charlie swallowed hard. “What happened to you, Nym?” he whispered.

 

“Should've see the other guy,” she replied, the ghost of a smile curling her lips upwards.

 

Fleur gingerly lifted one side of Tonks' jacket to examine the damage underneath. She looked without touching – knowing as soon as she did, Kingsley's stasis charm would lift and the countdown would begin. She knew with certainty that there was very little time on the clock.

 

“You apparate?” she glanced up at Moody. He folded his arms more tightly.

 

“Portkey.”

 

Fleur swore violently in French.

 

A clean laceration ran above Tonks' navel, but the injury had torn across to her left side, ending at the base of her ribs and exposing the dark muscle underneath. Blood pooled in the dip of her stomach.

 

“There is much damage inside,” Fleur spoke to no one in particular. “This inside bleeding must stop first.”

 

“So find it and stop it,” Moody said roughly.

 

“With what resources? She needs to get to St Mungos.” Bill had remained in the room, knowing his fiancé's orders did not apply to him. Fleur shook her head.

 

“No. She will not live if you move 'er.” She took a deep breath, rolling up the sleeves of her cotton blouse. “I will do it.”

 

She tied up her long blonde hair and stepped forward, gripping the edge of the table. Suddenly, Tonks fingertips were on her wrist. Fleur met her pale eyes and words unspoken passed between them.

 

“Charlie, you will talk to 'er. Mister Moody, you will stand 'ere and give to me what I ask.” She looked at Bill, drawing comfort from his concerned brown eyes.

 

“What can I do, love?”

 

“You get Remus,” she said. “Be quick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a short chapter... the next one will be longer. And possibly more angsty.


	7. Vulnera Inveni - Remus

From upstairs, Remus heard the fireplace roar to life. He listened for the accompanying thud and yelp of pain as Tonks smacked her head on the mantle, but no such greeting was heard. He set down the papers in his hand and, frowning slightly, quickly descended the stairs.

 

“You're back early–?”

 

He froze at the sight of Bill brushing soot from his jeans. The red-haired man looked up, his scarred face gaunt, and Remus instantly went cold.

 

“...Where is she?”

 

Bill took a deep breath. “At the Burrow.”

 

Remus felt the ground sway slightly beneath him, the metallic taste of fear flooded his mouth.

 

“How bad is it?”

 

Bill opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Remus rushed forward, snatching up a fistful of floo powder so forcefully that the bowl toppled to the floor, scattering its contents.

 

Heart racing, he stepped into the flames.

 

\- - -

 

Remus couldn't drag his eyes away from the rug at his feet. Large and ornate, it was decorated with intricate swirling patterns that were now marred by a terrible red stain in the middle. Bile rose in his throat.

 

Bill stepped out of the fireplace behind him, the fierce crackle of flames startling Remus out of his frozen state. He strode forward, pulse thrumming loudly in his ears, and had crossed the hall to the kitchen before realising with a jolt he had instinctively followed the scent of blood.

 

The first thing he saw was the small body that lay on the Weasley's kitchen table. Remus’ vision blurred and there was a thunderous roaring in his ears.

 

_ I'm too late... _

 

Tonks' eyes were shut, her purple eyebrows drawn together in a small frown. But Remus saw her chest rise and fall, and the relief that crashed through him was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

 

Charlie Weasley was bent low at Tonks' side, whispering to her intently. His shoulders tremored slightly, and Remus had never seen the man's freckled face look so young and afraid. His hazel eyes glanced up at him and flooded with relief as Remus approached; he gave Tonks' fingers a final squeeze before moving aside.

 

Remus' hands shook as he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. Her eyes met his and crinkled with a strained smile.

 

“Looks worse than it is... promise.”

 

Pain made her voice hoarse and Remus felt his chest tighten, squeezing the air from his lungs. He tried to form a response but found he couldn't get any words past the hard lump in his throat. He glanced down, flooded with nausea as the stench of blood hit him again. Remus was reminded starkly of the injuries he would inflict upon himself every month as a small child, before three boys had saved him from himself.

 

Tonks had saved him from himself, too.

 

Fleur appeared then, holding a ceramic bowl containing a foul-smelling paste that made his eyes water. “Good, you can help too,” she said briskly, as she applied the paste to a blackened scorch mark on Tonks' upper thigh. She flinched and hissed in pain, and Remus laced his fingers in hers.

 

“...What happened?” His eyes searched Fleur's desperately, but she avoided his gaze.

 

A gruff voice came from his right and Remus noticed Moody for the first time, watching ominously from the side of the room. A dark bloodstain coloured his left shoulder and his scarred face was dirtied with sweat and ash.

 

“We were attacked at the base. Any Death Eaters that Azkaban once held have escaped. Kingsley is at the Ministry now.”

 

Remus swore quietly, heart hammering. “The children...”

 

Tonks made a noise, and when he looked down at her she had turned her face away, eyes glittering with tears. Her hand trembled in his and he stroked his thumb gently over her bloodied knuckles.

 

Moody cleared his throat. “One... didn't make it.”

 

Fleur exhaled sharply and fixed the Auror with a steely glare.

 

“You men talk later. Now I concentrate.” She looked back at Remus, and her gaze softened. “I must find the bleeding inside, 'ere, but I have little time. Keep 'er calm.” Remus swallowed hard and nodded. Fleur shifted her grip on her long, willowy wand and took a deep, steadying breath.

 

“Alright.  _ Un... deux...” _

 

A silver sheen rippled over Tonks' torso for a moment before dissipating into the air. Tonks gave a strangled gasp and her body shuddered violently as the stasis charm lifted. Remus' pulse quickened as he smoothed back her hair with one shaking hand.

 

“Shh... Dora, I'm right here–”

 

Fleur passed her wand over Tonks' abdomen and white wisps of pearly smoke curled from the tip of it. In a low voice she muttered an incantation Remus hadn't heard before, spoken almost like a song.

 

“ _ Vulnera inveni...”  _ she murmured softly, and the tendrils of smoke twisted gently.  _ “Vulnera inveni–” _

 

The smoke suddenly disappeared as though someone had blown it away, and Fleur hissed in frustration. Tonks coughed wetly and shuddered again.

 

“Well, am I going to die or not?” she croaked.

 

“Nobody's dying,” Moody said darkly, and the lump in Remus' throat grew larger.

 

“You're just worried I'll come back to haunt–” Tonks convulsed suddenly, pain flashing brightly in her eyes. Remus watched helplessly, strangled with fear as blood started to pool on the kitchen table once more.

 

“Keep 'er still!” Fleur barked, and Remus held Tonks' pale face in his hands. He whispered frantically to himself as much as he did to her: _ you're okay, you'll be fine, we'll fix you I promise... _

 

Fleur began her incantations once more but the smoke hovered only for a couple seconds before disappearing again, and she let out a string of accented expletives.

 

“Can't you see where the bleeding is coming from?” Charlie asked, his voice wavering. Fleur replied bitterly in French and the red-haired man shot a desperate look at his older brother, who shook his head hopelessly. Remus felt the panic in his chest begin to swallow him. When he looked back down at Tonks, she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

 

“Hey, you have to stay awake... please, Dora – look at me...” Her head was heavy in his palms as her eyelids fluttered. He went cold as the strands of purple hair he held in his fingers were leached of their colour, bleeding into a soft brown.

 

“Remus...” she breathed, her eyes closed. “...Can we just go home?”

 

Her face blurred as tears filled his eyes. “We'll go home,” he said. “I promise. Just stay with me.”

 

Fleur's voice had begun to shake as she continued her incantations in vain. Moody had started pacing the tiled floor behind her.

 

“Look at her, she's going to die if you don't do something!”

 

“Fleur's doing what she can, Alastor.” Bill said quietly, an edge to his voice.

 

“Well whatever she's doing  _ isn't working!” _

 

Fleur whirled around in a fury. “Then you try – use your magic eye and 'elp me, not shout like angry old man!”

 

For a moment, Moody blinked at her in stunned silence. “It doesn't function like–”

 

“Try.” Fleur said simply.

 

Moody glanced at Remus, who stared back brokenly. Tonks was shivering violently on the table beneath them.

 

“...Fine.”

 

The Auror stepped up to the table, his electric blue eye swivelling in its socket. It settled on Tonks, and quivered slightly as it scanned her abdomen.

 

“Begin the charm again,” he told Fleur in a low voice.

 

She did as he asked, and the wisps of smoke trailed from the end of her wand once more. Moody placed a hand carefully on her wrist, slowly guiding her wand as she chanted. Remus watched them work together as he held Tonks, who was still shaking. He hardly dared to breath.

 

Suddenly, the smoke turned a vivid shade of red.

 

Fleur exhaled sharply but did not stop chanting, though her incantations changed slightly.  _ “Vulnera inventus...” _ she spoke.  _ “Vulnera inventus... vulnera sanentur...”  _ The smoke turned white once again and took on a pearlescent glow, disappearing inside the deep laceration.

 

At last, the flow of blood seemed to ease from Tonks' side and as Fleur continued, the wound along Tonks' midsection started knitting itself back together. Remus held his breath as Tonks' shaking began to subside and she was able to breath a little easier.

 

Fleur finished her incantations, sparing a glance at Moody, who nodded once. She sagged slightly and Bill wrapped his arms around her from behind, whispering something unintelligible in her ear.

 

Charlie sighed, patted Remus on the shoulder and gave him a watery smile. He glanced at Tonks, her eyes still closed, before exiting the kitchen to rejoin his family.

 

Remus held Tonks in his arms, shaking, and didn't think he'd ever be able to let go. Tears stung his eyes as he looked up at Moody.

 

“She'll be alright?”

 

“Well, she won't be haunting me for a while yet,” was his reply.

 

“That's what you think,” said a tired voice from below them.

 

Remus looked down at Tonks and half laughed, half sobbed with relief as she blinked up at him, exhausted. He took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips.

 

Tonks squeezed his fingers weakly in response, and closed her eyes again.


	8. Nightmares - Remus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus Lupin hurts all three of my feelings.

Percy's bedroom was typically meticulous, an odd blip of order in a ramshackled house. There were no posters on the walls, nor photographs or picture frames on the small wooden desk. Every object in the room gave off an uncompromising aura, such as the hard chair that Remus sat hunched on, spine twinging. Asleep in the bed beside him was Tonks, who had not stirred all night.

 

Charlie had offered his bed, but it was Arthur who had suggested Percy's old room, _it's on the ground floor, you'll be better off and it's not like he's using it,_ despite Molly's quiet protests that _of course dear, but he'll be back soon, what with the wedding–_

 

Bill had rolled his eyes and guided Remus as he carried Tonks to the tidy little room.

 

He listened now to the quiet sounds of her breathing, counting each exhale as the first rays of sunlight began to filter through the curtains. Her hand felt cold in his and he absently rubbed warmth into her fingers. Her hair had not returned yet to it's typical lavender colour and Remus remembered uneasily the last time he had seen Tonks with soft brown hair.

 

The stillness of the morning was broken by raised voices in a distant part of the house. Remus glanced at the door, his pulse quickening.

 

“...need to see my daughter–”

 

Remus flinched as the door opened and Andromeda Tonks swiftly entered, closely followed by her husband. Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments before stopping on Tonks' sleeping form.

 

Remus let go of Tonks' hand.

 

“Oh Merlin, Dora...”

 

He stood swiftly from his chair to make space as the older woman rushed to the bedside, not sparing him another glance. Remus watched as she sat carefully on the bed, smoothing back her daughter's hair. It matched her own, save for the white streaks that framed Andromeda's elegant face that was now lined with worry. Remus felt he should say something, anything, but he had not spoken to Andromeda since he had left her daughter more than two months ago.

 

He felt a warm hand on his arm, and met the gaze of Ted Tonks. He was pale with concern, but his eyes were as kind as Remus remembered. He gave Remus the smallest of nods before patting his arm once more and joining his wife.

 

Chest suddenly tight, Remus quickly left the room.

 

The house was still dim where the early morning sun had not reached its corners. In the living room, Fleur lay asleep on the sagging sofa across Bill's chest, who was snoring softly.

 

“Only just nodded off, the pair of them. Miss Delacour insisted on patching up Alastor, much to his alarm.” Arthur smiled over the top of his newspaper, sat in his armchair with one slippered foot crossed over the other. “Although I won't be able to call her that much longer, will I?”

 

Remus smiled weakly. “She is an impressive woman.”

 

“As is yours. Tough cookie, that one.” Arthur folded his newspaper and adjusted his glasses. “I sent word to her parents – not before warning Moody, mind you. Mrs Tonks had a few choice words ready for him when she got here, but he'd already left.”

 

Remus swallowed. He suspected Mrs Tonks had a few choice words for him too.

 

“You're welcome to stay, lad, but I'd go home and get some proper sleep if I were you. You must be exhausted.”

 

He was – he had kept vigil all night, and the emotions of the previous day had left him with a steady pounding in his temples. The sudden appearance of Tonks' parents had shaken him, especially the cold demeanour of Andromeda, who had always been fond of Remus. He was reluctant to leave Tonks, but perhaps it was best for now.

 

Arthur watched the conflict in Remus' face with a sympathetic expression. “I'll keep an eye on her, don't you worry. And I'll come get you when she's awake.”

 

Remus exhaled wearily. “Thank you, Arthur. For everything.” Arthur dismissed him with a wave of his hand, picking up his newspaper again.

 

“Not much hope in war if we don't have each other, is there?”

 

Remus couldn't find the words for a response, so he simply nodded, and stepped into the fireplace.

 

\- - - -

 

He stood in the shower, watching rivulets of water run across his scarred torso until the air was thick with steam and his skin was scalded pink. It made his scars stand out frighteningly and Remus was drawn again and again to the largest one, which crossed his side and ended above his navel.

 

Despite the blistering water, Remus felt cold.

 

Sleep was elusive, constantly pulling at the edge of his mind but never strong enough to overcome the thoughts that kept him awake. Remus had little motivation to fall asleep, anyway – he knew the nightmares would come soon after.

 

Since Remus had attended Hogwarts, he had always preferred the presence of another person next to him during the night. At school, it had been James, or Sirius, or both squished in together in his tiny bed, all elbows and knees and horribly uncomfortable... but safe, and reassuring all the same. The nightmares found it harder to nest in his head when there was someone else's boyish limb poking his ribcage.

 

Afterwards, Remus slept alone for a long time. The nightmares flourished, then.

 

The first night he had slept dreamlessly in well over a decade, he woke to the familiar sensation of a sharp elbow nestled in his side. The elbow's owner had purple hair, and a wrinkled nose, and often mumbled in her sleep.

 

Not so long ago he was sleeping – or not sleeping – like this, without Tonks beside him, and it was his choice. A choice motivated by pain and fear and self-preservation. She had been furious with him, and he had deserved it.

 

The night of Albus' death, Tonks left the hospital wing without a word to Remus or anyone else, and Arthur had caught him staring after her. The older man had glanced back at his son and future daughter-in-law, and gave Remus a look that didn't require any words.

 

Arthur was right. A young man was lying in a hospital bed having narrowly avoided death. Their last hope had fallen off a tower, and they were all left startlingly alone. There was too much death in the air to not be on speaking terms with the one of the people he cared most deeply about.

 

So he went after her.

 

\- - - -

 

“ _Don't follow me if you're going to give me the same bullshit explanations, Lupin.”_

 

_Remus raced down the empty corridor._

 

“ _Listen, I'm not – will you just wait a second?”_

 

_Tonks halted suddenly and whirled around, eyes blazing. Remus' breath caught in his throat. He hadn't planned this far in advance._

 

“ _Um. The hair is... different.”_

 

_Tonks snorted derisively._

 

“ _Yeah, well. The guy I'd been dating for almost a year just upped and left out of the blue one day and then didn't speak to me for three weeks. So I kinda fancied a change, y'know?”_

 

“ _I'm sorry–”_

 

“ _You could have at least sent me a bloody_ owl _, for Merlin's sake!”_

 

“ _Tonks–“_

 

“‘ _Dear Tonks, sorry but I changed my mind and I'm just not that into you anymore. But instead of being an adult and owning up to it, I'm going to use my lycanthropy as an excuse and put everything on you instead, because I'm a huge fucking knob–'”_

 

“Tonks.”

 

_He gripped her by the shoulders, heart beating uncomfortably loud in his ears. The way she was looking at him was unbearable, but he met her furious gaze all the same._

 

“ _I'm sorry, Tonks. You didn't deserve that. I should have spoken to you first.”_

 

_Tonks opened her mouth to retort, but he continued._

 

“ _But it's not an excuse, it's not. And it's not just the lycanthropy – it's everything else, everything about this goddamn war...” His voice broke suddenly and a painful lump formed in his throat. “Dumbledore's dead. H-he's gone, and God knows what that means now for the rest of us.”_

 

_His hands were shaking where they were placed on Tonks' shoulders; she took hold of them now in her own, taking a deep breath._

 

“ _Remus, you're not the only one who's scared shitless, here. None of us know which day is going to be our last. So... I get it.”_

 

_She swallowed, and Remus' chest tightened as he watched her fight back tears._

 

“ _We both needed a distraction from the war. Someone to have a laugh with, whatever. Remind us that life isn't so bleak. And I know that it got intense, and that wasn't what you signed up for – and I'm sorry. But you weren't just a distraction for me, Remus.” Tonks was staring at the floor, still gripping his hands. “Just... if you'd had enough, if you wanted to end things... I'd rather you had just told me instead of ignoring me.”_

 

_Remus stared as he processed her words. They left a bitter taste in his mouth as it dawned on him what he had done in trying to protect her._

 

“ _Dora... you weren't a distraction for me, either.”_

 

_She looked up at him then, expression unreadable._

 

“ _I ran away from you, because I couldn't – I can't – do it again. I can't, I... I've done this once before. It nearly killed me. I don't think I can survive losing someone I love again.”_

 

_He had said it so many times, in so many unspoken ways, but never out loud. He had spent the past year falling in love with the woman stood in front of him, wide-eyed in shock, and he had never told her._

 

_Because he was afraid. And an idiot._

 

_Tonks let go of his hands and took a couple steps back, bewildered. She shook her head slightly. “Don't – don't say things like that unless you mean them.”_

 

_Remus licked his lips, his mouth parched. He certainly hadn't planned this far in advance._

 

“ _I meant what I said before. You deserve someone whole, Tonks. And the thought of losing you to a war I thought I'd never be in again terrifies me. But of course – of course I love you, how could I not–”_

 

_He stumbled backwards and fell hard on his rear as Tonks shoved him forcefully in the chest._

 

“ _You – you just – you're a real mind-fuck sometimes, you know that?” she hissed, but she was laughing too, breathless. Remus shook his head, half relieved and half ashamed._

 

“ _I know, I'm sor–”_

 

“ _Oh, you're sorry, are you? So I'm supposed to forgive you now – tell you that I love you back and we'll go play happy families?”_

 

_Remus tensed as she stared down at him, hands on her hips. He opened his mouth to speak, but all of a sudden Tonks had closed the space between them and was kneeling in front of him and crushing her lips to his, and his mind went blank._

 

_When they broke apart at last, she was smiling. “I love you too. Idiot.”_

 

_And that was that._

 

\- - - -

 

Remus was sick of sleeping alone. He descended his staircase two steps at a time, stumbling into his fireplace and smacking his head on the mantle as he failed to duck low enough. He almost laughed.

 

Wincing as Percy’s bed creaked under his weight, Remus carefully slid underneath the duvet, breathing in the faint smell of citrus.

 

As he was counting her eyelashes, Tonks' eyes fluttered open.

 

“You have a nice face,” she mumbled, her eyes unfocused. Remus smiled softly, his thumb brushing over the cut above her eyebrow.

 

“You hit your head pretty hard, huh?”

 

Tonks responded with something unintelligible, shifting closer to the warmth of his body. A beat passed, then she jerked suddenly, wide awake. She stammered frantically about Death Eaters, Moody and Kingsley, the children – and Remus shushed her, holding her close until she could breathe normally again.

 

“Go back to sleep, Dora,” he whispered, stroking her hair.

 

Eventually she did, as did Remus, who slept without dreaming.


End file.
